Contractile reel hub



Sept. 13, 1966 COHEN CONTRACTILE REEL HUB 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 12, 1963 MxM ATTORNE Y 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 12, 1963 1 VEVTOR. yam (045v P 3, 1966 G. D. COHEN 3,272,452

CONTRACTILE REEL HUB Filed Nov. 12, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTO' 75 /110 2 6'0 BY JI M/MV ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,272,452 CONTRACTKLE REEL HUB Gerald D. Cohen, Massapequa, N.Y., assignor to Potter Instrument Company, Inc., lainview, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 322,605 10 Claims, (Cl. 242-72) This invention, .generally, relates to the field of high speed tape transports and, more particularly, to a reel hub for use on such transports.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved reel hub for mounting reels of tape quickly and effectively on transports.

Briefly, the invention is characterized by a surface of high friction material having means to support the material within the locus of a circle having a predetermined diameter to permit a reel of tape to be mounted thereon. A suitable handle is provided on the hub and has a boundary which is smaller than the predetermined diameter of the circle to permit the tape reel to slide readily thereover. A lever or suitable linkage is connected at one point to the handle and at another, spaced apart point, to the support for the friction material, so that movement of the handle in one direction causes the friction material to move past the predetermined diameter for engaging the inner bore of a tape reel.

The following drawings illustrate a presently preferred form of the invention:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the respective component parts;

FIG. 3 is a side view in elevation, partly in section, showing the reel hub in position to receive a tape reel thereon;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the reel 'hub in locked position;

FIG. 5 is a view along a line 55 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a view along a line 6-6 in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a detailed view along a line 7-7 in FIG. 5.

It is believed that the above figures constitute a complete and understandable disclosure of the invention, but the following description is supplemental thereto and will aid in a more complete understanding.

Referring to the drawings, a base 10 is formed with an opening for mounting on the shaft 11 of a motor for turning a tape reel. The base 10 is fixedly attached to the shaft 11 for rotation therewith.

A ring 12 is formed with a sufficient diameter to provide an abutting surface 13 against which a reel of tape is slid over a friction surface 14. An annular skirt 15 is positioned to cover the inner parts of the hub when the knob 16 is in either of its operative positions.

The knob 16 has an extension 17 which is pinned at 18 to one end of a lever 19, the opposite end of the lever 19 being pinned at 20 to an expansible support 21 for the friction material 14. Thus, if the knob 16 is moved to the right from the position shown in FIG. 3 to that shown in FIG. 4, the pin 20 is moved upwardly as viewed in FIG. 4 to move the friction material into engagement with the inner surface of a bore on a tape reel.

A plurality of Belleville washers 22 are mounted about the lever 19, which is in two telescoping sections so that a predetermined force may be maintained against the friction material 14 even after the pin 18 is moved past its center position to a locking position as shown in FIG. 4.

A plastic washer 23 is inserted as shown in the drawings to provide an abutment against which the screws 24 strike when the lever 19 passes its center and moves into locking position.

While it is desirable to have matching levers 19 on opposite sides of the extension 17, the support 21 may be modified in structure in any suitable manner to obtain operation with only one lever 19, if desired.

The invention may be modified, but the following claims are intended to define the valid scope thereof.

I claim:

:1. A reel hub for a tape transport having a drive shaft for rotatably driving a tape reel having a cylindrical smooth walled central bore, said reel hub comprising support means adapted to be drivingly mounted on the outer end of said drive shaft for rotation therewith, expansible clutch means movably mounted on said support means for movement between contracted and expanded positions, said clutch means having an exposed surface of friction material which defines a cylinder in said expanded position having a diameter equal to the diameter of the central bore of the tape reel, handactuated over center lever means operatively connected to said clutch means for expanding and contracting said clutch means, the hand-actuated portion of said hand-actuated over center lever means being exposed on the outer end of said reel hub and being disposed entirely within the cylinder defined by said friction surface when said clutch means is in its contracted position to enable said tape reel to be slipped over the outer end of said reel hub onto said cylinder without interference, means for stopping said handactuated over center lever means after it snaps over center in said expanded position, and resilient means for resiliently biasing said friction clutch means radially outward to facilitate the over center snap action and to urge said friction surface against the wall of said central bore and said hand-actuated over center lever means against said stop means to maintain said clutch means in its expanded position until said hand-actuated portion is manually gripped and actuated in the opposite direction to contract the clutch means.

2. The reel hub as defined in claim 1 wherein said handactuated over center lever means comprises handle means forming said hand-actuated portion and lever means pivotally connected at one point to the handle means and pivotally connected to the clutch means at a spaced apart point.

3. The reel hub as defined in claim 2 including a second lever means also pivotally connected at one point to said handle means and pivotally connected to said clutch means at a spaced apart point, said first and second lever means together forming a toggle linkage means.

4. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said lever means comprises at least two telescoping lever sections pivotally connected to the handle means at one point and pivotally connected to the clutch means at another point in a manner to enable said points to move toward and away from one another as said lever means is pivoted over center, and wherein said resilient means comprises a plurality of Belleville spring washers acting between said telescoping lever sections to bias them apart.

5. The reel hub as defined in claim 2' wherein said stop means is adjustable to control the distance said lever means travels after it snaps over center.

6. The reel hub as defined in claim 1 wherein said clutch means comprises a plurality of arcuate clutch elements pivotally mounted on said support means for pivotal movement between said expanded and contracted positions.

7. The reel hub as defined in claim 6 wherein said arcuate clutch elements pivot about axes parallel to the axis of rotation of said reel hub.

8. The reel hub as defined in claim 7 wherein said support means includes a surface perpendicular to said axis of rotation and facing toward said outer end of the reel hub, pin means projecting axially from said surface toward said outer end, and wherein one end of each of said arcuate clutch elements is pivotally connected to said pin means and the pivoting end of each of said arcuate clutch elements is pivotally connected to said hand-actuated over center lever means.

9. The reel hub as defined in claim 8 wherein there are four arcuate clutch elements arranged in a circle with each clutch element occupying substantially a quarter of a circle, one diametrically opposed pair of ends of said arcuate clutch elements being pivotally connected to said pin means and the other diametrically opposed pair of ends of said arcuate clutch elements being pivotally connected to said hand-actuated over center lever means.

10. The reel hub as defined in claim 9 wherein said friction material comprises an uninterrupted sleeve of friction material encircling said arcuate clutch elements and spanning the gaps therebetween.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/ 1901 Hecker 192-76 4/ 1914 Mehlurn 142-72 11/1917 Norris 192-96 3/ 1918 Sundh 242-72 1/1937 Elliott 192-53 11/1948 Bader 242-72 7/1954 Lomazzo et al. 242-72 9/ 1956 Herr 242-72 9/1956 Herr 242-72 10/ 1959 Jacobsen 242-72 FOREIGN PATENTS 1/ 1958 Switzerland.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

I. R. BOLER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A REEL HUB FOR A TAPE TRANSPORT HAVING A DRIVE SHAFT FOR ROTATABLY DRIVING A TAPE REEL HAVING A CYLINDRICAL SMOOTH WALLED CENTRAL BORE, SAID REEL HUB COMPRISING SUPPORT MEANS ADAPTED TO BE DRIVINGLY MOUNTED ON THE OUTER END OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, EXPANSIBLE CLUTCH MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN CONTRACTED AND EXPANDED POSITIONS, SAID CLUTCH MEANS HAVING AN EXPOSED SURFACE OF FRICTION MATERIAL WHICH DEFINES A CYLINDER IN SAID EXPANDED POSITION HAVING A DIAMETER EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF THE CENTRAL BORE OF THE TAPE REEL, HAND-ACTUATED OVER CENTER LEVER MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID CLUTCH MEANS FOR EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING SAID CLUTCH MEANS, THE HAND-ACTUATED PORTION OF SAID HAND-ACTUATED OVER CENTER LEVER MEANS BEING EXPOSED ON THE OUTER END OF SAID REEL HUB AND BEING DISPOSED ENTIRELY WITHIN THE CYLINDER DEFINED BY SAID FRICTION SURFACE WHEN SAID CLUTCH MEANS IS IN ITS CONTRACTED POSITION TO ENABLE SAID TAPE REEL TO BE SLIPPED OVER THE OUTER END OF SAID REEL HUB ONTO SAID CYLINDER WITHOUT INTERFERENCE, MEANS FOR STOPPING SAID HANDACTUATED OVER CENTER LEVER MEANS AFTER ITS SNAPS OVER CENTER IN SAID EXPANDED POSITION, AND RESILIENT MEANS FOR RESILIENTLY BIASING SAID FRICTION CLUTCH MEANS RADIALLY OUTWARD TO FACILITATE THE OVER CENTER SNAP ACTION AND TO URGE SAID FRICTION SURFACE AGAINST THE WALL OF SAID CENTER BORE AND SAID HAND-ACTUATED OVER CENTER LEVER MEANS AGAINST SAID STOP MEANS TO MAINTAIN SAID CLUTCH MEANS IN ITS EXPANDED POSITION UNTIL SAID HAND-ACTUATED PORTION IS MANUALLY GRIPPED AND ACTUATED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO CONTRACT THE CLUTCH MEANS. 